Shoe.



^ JOHN F. DAVIS, OF FREEPORT, MAINE.

SHOE

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 8, 1908.

Application sied August 12, 190s. serial No. 448,235.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. Davis, a citizen of the United States, residing at Freeport, Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shoes, and particularly to a shoe machine sewed through and through, in which are combined the flexibility of a hand sewed shoe with the strength and durability of that type of shoe knpwn as the McKay sewed or Goodyear we t.

In certain parts of the shoe trade, there is a great demand for flexibility in certain parts of the shoe, and, as such flexibility usually entails a degree of weakness, much difficulty has been experienced in satisfactorily meeting this demand.v Various at tempts have been made to secure this ilexibility, but in most cases it has only been secured at the cost of an increased amount of handling and of work upon the parts of the shoe. I have, therefore, devised a shoe structure in which the parts are simple and are capable of being substantially assembled, and that when so assembled form a complete, durable whole, and one which is capable of repair and restoration with little difficulty, and without destroying the interior finish of the shoe. This I accomplish by means of a certain novel form of inner sole and of shoe assembly, the elements of which, and manner of construction, together with other features of novelty, will be more fully described in the specification which follows.

In the drawings accompanying said specification, and which are made a part thereof by reference numerals similarly used, I have disclosed an embodiment of my invention illustra-tive of the principles involved therein.

In the drawing, Figure 1, isa plan view of an inner sole; Fig. 2, a bottom view of a lasted upper and an inner sole; Fig. 3, a section of the last with an upper and an inner sole applied; Fig. L1, a sectional view of a shoe with the outer sole stitched in place, and the inner sole rolled back, and, Fig. .5, a similar view with the inner sole laid back in place.

1 is an inner sole having a separated toe piece 2 divided from it by an inclined or beveled cut 3, which is disposed across the sole on the line dividing the toe portion from the ball portion of the sole; t is an upper; 5 is an outer sole, which is channeled in the usual manner at 6 to receive the stitches 7.

In making the shoe I apply the inner sole 1 to a last 8, and draw over the last and inner sole the upper l, which is held in proper position by the lacing 9. The toe portion and the heel portion of the upper are then fastened to the inner sole by tacks 10, and the outer sole is then applied by fastening in place the heel and toe by tacks 12. The last is now removed from the shoe and the ball and shank portion of the inner sole are pulled back, as shown in Fig. 1, being folded into the heel portion of the shoe to expose the turned-in edges of the upper along the ball and the shank of the sole for a space extending on both sides from the heel seat to the tip portion Q of the inner sole. The shoe is now run on the horn of a sewing machine and stitched through and through from the heel seat on one side along the shank and the ball around the toe and back along the ball and shank to the heel seat on the other side. By this, the shoe will be stitched through the upper and the outer sole on both sides from heel seat to toe, and at the toe it will be stitched through the toe portion of the inner sole through the upper and through the outer sole. The ball and the shank portion of the inner sole 1 may then be laid in place and cemented within the shoe, thus presenting a smooth interior finish with no stitching exposed except at the very toe of the shoe, which, of course, is not visible under ordinary conditions, but which is ample to afford the strengthening features desired in the construction.

The employment of such a sole and such a manner of assemblage permits the use of a stier inner sole, and one of greater width than is ordinarily available for shoes of this type. This makes it possible to produce a shoe in which a broad, firm, inner sole is presented to the foot, giving a comfortable tread and fully protecting it from the stitches along the ball and shank, and at the same time `permits an easing of the stitching along the ball and shank, so that no sudden line occurs within that area where rigidity ceases and flexibility suddenly begins.

In Fig. 9.,'1 have indicated the outer edge of the inner sole by a. dotted line 13, while the dotted line 14 indicates the line of stitches 7. With the stiff inner sole overlying these stitches, and firmly cemented in place and united to the stitched-in toe piece 2 along the broad, beveled cut which divides it, it will be seen that the upper is prevented from having any chance to pull up on the stitching. Whatever pulling, therefore, on the part of the upper that can be exerted on the stitching must come laterally around the edge of the inner sole, thus relieving the stitching from any ripping strain. It will also be noted that when the folded back portion of the inner sole l is returned to its place, the bevel on its forward end laps over the opposite bevel on the toe piece 2, and readily adapts itself by the very movement of rolling it back into place, so that in spite of the presence of stitches and of cement, it will lit closely upon the toe piece and make therewith a smooth and finished surface.

If it be desired to repair the shoe, the inner sole may be torn off and turned back to again 'expose the stitching without endangering the shoe structure, and it may be returned again to cover the stitching Vand to again afford a smooth and finished inner surface for the foot, without the necessity of replacing the inner sole or of weakening any of the original fastenings of the part.

Various modifications may obviously be made in the details of the parts, all without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. In a shoe the combination of an outer sole, an upper and a sti inner sole, said inner sole having been cut transversely between the toe and ball portion thereof to permit the ball and shank portion to be turned back towards the heel during stitching, stitching passing through the outer sole, the upper and inner sole at the toe and through the outer sole and the upper along the ball and shank, said inner sole extending beyond the line of said stitching and being cemented in place over the same to protect it from upward pulls.

2. In a shoe the combination of an outer sole, an upper and a stiff inner sole, said inner sole having been cut transversely on a bevel between the toe and ball portion theref JOI-IN F. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

HENRY E. Dl vis, S. A. LITCHFIELD. 

